Whole

I cannot describe the powerful alchemy that occurs when I engage in deep conversation with someone I vibrate with
It fills up the place where magic lives in my soul
It is like rain in the desert
It makes me whole

-gws

A Mother’s List

Wake them
Dress them
Feed them
Then it's off to school
Pick them up
And bring them home
Provide a snack or two
Help them with their homework
Hold them when they're sad
Help them learn to regulate
Themselves when they are mad
Attempt to feed them dinner
Then it's time for bed
Pick out a book or two
From favorites we have read
Bandage up their owies
Make sure they brushed their teeth
Check beneath their beds to prove
There's nothing underneath
One last kiss for comfort
And then to tuck them in
Then off to sleep for mommy
To begin it all again

-gws

Rain Mellowed the Rock

The rock stood stalwart over the sea
Strong
Silent
Resolute
Ever watching
Ever present
The sea praised the rock
Recognizing its reliability
Extolling its resilience
Of the rock's ability to weather the elements
Alongside the sea
But the rock wasn't resilient
The rock suffered
The rain mellowed the rock
Smoothing down its defined edges
At first the rock did not mind
Because aren't smoothed edges
A testament to its steadfast partnership with the sea
Showing proof of its loyalty
But water was also an insidious lover
The mist with the help of the wind found every crack
And forced its way deep within the stone
Expanding fissures and causing fractures
The rock without realizing lost itself to time
The relentlessness of water
Slowly broke down the rock
Until it one day crumbled into the sea
It was not mourned or missed
Its absence sparked no shadow of memory
For the sea still lapped and lashed and sprayed and claimed
All who sat upon its shore
One drop of salted water at a time

-gws

Songbird and the Sapling

"It's Spring!" the little songbird sang,
excitement trilling in her voice.

"It is winter," groaned the sleepy sapling
whose roots were enshrouded in icy soil.

"But the sun is SO warm," whistled the songbird.

"Yes, but the ground is still SO cold," creaked the sapling
"Puff up, my small friend, and sleep with me a little longer.
When my buds start to sprout, we will both sing a song of
welcome for Spring."

So the songbird tucked up into a nook in the saplings branches
and together they hunkered down to wait for Spring to truly arrive.

-gws

Practice

If you were to leave right now
I'd be just fine
I already know how to survive without you
You have provided me with years of practice

-gws

Rude

I hate that I can be so self-focused
So rude
I forget to say hello
I forget to ask about 
Your children
Your health
Your work
Your spouse
Your fur babies
You

I often lose track of the polite things to say or do
When I am task-driven
I forget we are both human
I forget that our relationship 
Is more important than my question
I do not commit these omissions purposefully
I get distracted by the illusion of urgency

So I beg your forgiveness
I plead for your patience
I promise to try harder
To prioritize connection
And make space for us 
To see each other

-gws

Demon

He told me resentful tales of taking up arms to slay my demons

I had no demons before him
He was my demon

-gws

Love you! Miss you!

Love you!  Miss you!
Let’s figure out how and when we can exist in the same space together for a while because my soul needs some YOU energy like my skin needs sunshine!

-gws

Never Enough

You were never mine
You were too transient to be considered mine
Too non-committal
But you attached yourself to me anyway
You kept coming back to knock on my door
And I kept letting you in
You wouldn't let go of me
Though you didn't really want me
And I was too blind 
Trusting
Hopeful to acknowledge the truth I knew in my bones
That I'd never be enough for you
Because you didn't know what enough felt like
You were a bottomless pit of need that could not seem to be filled
I kept pouring into you
Until I was empty
And it wasn't enough
I always found ways of putting pennies in your cup
While mine lay abandoned and empty at our feet
Both of us left hungry and growling
Snapping and swiping at each other
Bloody
Broken
Damaged
Miserable
And for God knows what reason
Still unable to let go
I wished you had just let me go
And that I let you

-gws

I Need

I need fire
Passion
Excitement

I need curiosity and
Deep conversations in dark corners
Long walks in nature in comfortable silence

I need art
And dance
And song
And philosophy

I need magic
And mystery
And unicorns

I need amazing dinners
Fancy cocktails
And whispered secrets over candlelit tables

I need rainy day cuddles
Pillow fights
And breakfasts in bed

I need blanket forts
And favorite movies with popcorn
And taking turns reading The Princess Bride out loud for the hundredth time

I need surprise ice cream breakfasts
Slow dancing in the kitchen
And long, involved conversations about our individual dreams

I need connection
Of mind
And of spirit

If you want to love me I need you to
See me
Hear me
Give me room to stretch, explore and grow
And you will be rewarded with experiencing the world
As the magical adventure I know it to be

-gws